Martin Conway (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I join in commending the bravery of Natasha O’Brien. It is when people waive their anonymity, tell their stories and explain what has happened and how abhorrent they feel their treatment was that we see change. I have no doubt but that we will see further change as a result of Ms O’Brien’s bravery. The Minister, Deputy McEntee, has made significant changes. She met Aimée Foley and me for two hours following Ms Foley’s experience with the judicial process. I have no doubt that when the time is appropriate, she will meet Ms O’Brien and we will see changes.

For a long time, I have had a concern about the use of suspended sentences in the overall context. Sentences are there for a reason. The suspension of sentences should be a rarity, but it appears to me that they are becoming the norm in our judicial process. The time has come to acknowledge this and consider it.While we now have certain judicial boards and so on, I believe it is appropriate, as legislators, to look at what we can do to reduce the prevalence of suspended sentences and to restore them to being a rarity, as opposed to the norm.